If They Were Community Planning Boss, Ontarians Would
Increase Active Transportation for their Communities with
More Emphasis on Public Transit (73%) and Cyclists (60%)

Toronto, ON - If they were a planner for their community and could design infrastructure for the needs of their community ten years from now, three quarters (73%) of Ontarians would place more emphasis on public transit compared to 3% who would place less emphasis on it and 24% who wouldn't do more or less, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll released on behalf of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.

Not far behind in priority, six in ten (60%) would place more emphasis on cyclists compared to 6% who would place less emphasis on cyclists or 34% would wouldn't change the amount of emphasis. Further, a majority (52%) would place more emphasis on infrastructure for pedestrians compared to 4% would who do less for pedestrians or 44% who wouldn't change anything. Ontarians are more mixed on whether more or less emphasis should be placed on infrastructure for vehicles for moving goods (25% more vs. 16% less vs. 60% no change), or private vehicles for people (24% more vs. 25% less vs. 51% no change).

The poll findings were released to coincide with an OPPI Symposium entitled "Healthy Communities and Planning for Active Transportation - Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk" at the Hilton Suites Markham Conference Centre on September 20th and 21st 2012. The OPPI is taking the themes of the recently released Call to Action on Active Transportation and moving these forward at Key issues that being discussed include: importance of Active Transportation; benefits of Active Transportation - health, safety, environmental, social/community and economic; Planner's role in Active Transportation; implementing Active Transportation Plans; and OPPI's Position on Active Transportation. Attendees will examine these challenges and identifying emerging opportunities.

Reflecting on the role of transit in their community, a majority (53%) of Ontarians `agree' that `we're going to have to encourage more people in our community to use public transit', out numbering the proportion who disagree (26%) by a two-to-one margin. Two in ten (21%) neither agree nor disagree.

Presently, four in ten (38%) Ontarians say that there is no public transit available in their community. Just under half (45%) say they take one or two one-way trips by transit in a typical week, while 16% say that they are more heavy users of transit in their community, taking it 3-5 times (13%) or 6 or more times per week (38%).

Focusing on cycling, just one in three (35%) Ontarians `agree' that their community `has lots of designated bicycle baths', while four in ten (43%) `disagree' that their community has lots of bicycle paths. Two in ten (22%) neither agree nor disagree.

Thinking about how their community supports and invests resources in various transportation options for things like moving goods, public transit, private vehicles, along with pedestrian and cyclist activity in their community, two in three (65%) believe that their community has achieved a good balance in accommodating all of these transportation options. However, just 10% say that balance is `very good', compared to most (55%) who say it is only `somewhat good'. One in three (35%) believe that the balance is either `not very good' (25%) or that there is `no real balance at all' (9%).

Ontarians were asked to rate various aspect of public transit, based either on their own experience in their community or on their general impressions of public transit. Below is how Ontarians rate public transit in the following areas:

• Safety from personal injury or crime: 52% excellent/good vs. 24% poor/very poor
• Reliability of service: 45% excellent/good vs. 30% poor/very poor
• Ample room for passengers to get a seat: 42% excellent/good vs. 33% poor/very poor
• Directness of routes: 42% excellent/good vs. 34% poor/very poor
• Route coverage throughout their community: 41% excellent/good vs. 37% poor/very poor
• Speed of travel: 39% excellent/good vs. 35% poor/very poor
• Frequency of service: 38% excellent/good vs. 39% poor/very poor
• Value for the cost you pay for riding: 38% excellent/good vs. 39% poor/very poor

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between August 27 and September 4, 2012, on behalf of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. For this survey, a sample of 371 Ontarians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 5.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Ontario been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

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